Art of separating liquids and apparatus therefor.



. L. STROM. ART OF SEPARATING LIQUIDS AND APPARATUS THEREFQR. AIPPLIUATIQN FILED HOV. 23, 1909.

968,206. Patented Aug. 23, 1910.

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ART OF SEPARATING LIQUIDS AND APPARATUS THEREFOR.

. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 23, 1909. 9 ,20 Patented Aug. 23, 1910.

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1.. STROM. ART OF SEPARATING LIQUIDS AND APPARATUS THEREFOR.

APPLICATION FILED 1TOV.23, 1909. I

Patented Aug. 23, 1910.

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oil of such mixtures may-perfectly well be I UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

LAwRENoEsTRo or Los AiIG'ELEs, CALIFORNIA.

ART OF SEPARATIN'G LIQUIDS AND APPARATUS THEREFOR.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 23, 1910.

Application filed November 23, 1909. Serial N 0. 529,605.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, LAWRENCE STROM, citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in thecount of Los Angeles and State of California, lave. invented certain .new and useful Improvements in the Art of SeparatingLiquids and Apparatus Therefor, of whlch the following is a specification.

My invention aims to provide a novel process for physically splitting up and separating, into their two constltuents, mixtures of oil with water or other" similar liquids by the aid of a mechanical separating device, the useof which constitutes the basis of the process. Oil is used here in the generic sense including oils of mineral, animal and vegetable origin.

In the exploitation of oil wells the presence of water mixed in greater or less roportion with the petroleum product p ays a most im ortant part. As not infrequently in some oi regions the water in the mixture coming from the ground'exceeds the petroleuni in amount, means must be adopted to eliminate the useless ingredient, and 1n view of the enormous volumes to be handled and the comparatively low price of the product such means must beinexpensive and capable of treating the mixtures very expeditiously. Again mixtures of water with oil are formed as the result of lubricating and running machinery. Such mixtures. occur most frequently in the crank cases, bearing cases and save-alls of practically universal use in modern high-class engineering, especially where positive pressure feed lubrication prevails. Leakage from glands and the water commonly used for cooling hot pants run into these rece )tacles, there forming a mixture with the Oil that has drained from moving parts or been delivered by the lubrieating pumps. This, while the most common, is but one of many ways in which such used over again almost indefinitely, after beingseparated from thewater, and cleaned, that is, freed from any entrained dirt, especially metallic'particles abraded from the workin surfaces, numerous processes and devicesiave been put into use to achieve the separation. Mostare based on'the difference in specific gravities between the two ingredients; :1 ain on the difference in specificheats, again on the effect of centrifugal tion that the present process and apparatus have been devlsed, To obtain separation of the liquid I feed it upon a rapidly revolving hood, shed or turtle-back, the movement producing motion of the liquid in a circular direction by entraining it and in a radial direction owing to the centrifugal component; whereby it is hurled fromthe shed in a small jet forming a swee curving radially outward and backward rom the point of leaving the disk, owing to the forces acting tangentially and radially upon it. This sweep I find to be of great importance in attaining the full efliciency of my apparatus or method. It presents the mixture to the selector-blades in a body havingmuch greater depth than thickness, increasing the volume of liquid exposed to the blades and insures that these are constantly immersed in a bath of the mixture While the machine is in operation. Upon leaving the shed the mixture now in the form described is dashed against a series of fixed selector-blades. I consider that the separative effect is due to the two actions. In the movements of rotation and ejection from the shed the cohesion of the particles is to a large extent broken as one observes in water running from a faucet, in rapids and water-falls. Inthis condition the tendency is for molecules of the same substances to form drops, in other words to unite with one another, like to ,like. Upon encountering the fixed blades which offer sharp edges to the on-coming, already partially physically disassociated masses of mixture these are entirely broken up, the water forming spray and drops and being thrown off, While the oil, owing to its superior viscosity adheres to the blades and by gravity runs down their sides to a suitable receptacle.

In view of the foregoing, my invention consists in the art or process and'in the apparatus for carrying outsaid process, as hereinafter described and claimed.

The apparatusv in which the mixture is subjected to the above process is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure- 1, is an elevation partly in section of the separator, as mounted on a factory floor, the supporting platform and parts above it being in'section; Fig. 2, a top plan view of the separator proper, the parts above I the bearin'g-platform being removed; Figs;

3 and 4 are detail views of one of the selector-blades, Fig. 5 is an elevation of two separators coupled in tandem, and Fig. 6 is an elevation partly in section ofthe separator as mounted on a floor.

Q rim-flange 8 of the oil receiver.

' the rim as well as outwardly whichpreferably slopes downward from in, out. Th-is flanged rim serves to support the apparatus by means of thehangers 9 uhaving'their lower ends bent at right angles 10 engaging under and riveted orbolted to flange .8 while the upper similarly-bent ends .are secured by anysuitable' means to platform.2ior as here shown. for the platform support to upright 3 with its upper arm long enough to take the bolts for securing the hanger 9, which bol ts' then pass through thefangle-brace and the platform. The drive-shaft 6, carries integral with it a collar 12 provided with a ballrace.

13 working on a fixed bearing portion -14:

bolted to the platform. This "fixed'portion also carries .a vertical bearing 15. to secure the lateral alineinent of the shaft, the upperend of which issteadied laterally by vertic al bearing 16 supported from the platform as shown. At its lower end the drive-shaft has secured to it by knownmeansthe. hood or shed 17, whichmay be no more thanla flat disk of sheet metal, but is preferably a hollow truncated cone 'or a segment of. a sphere in both cases of very small altitude,

about from 1/25 to 1/30 of its diameter, and

is adapted to rotate in ahorizontal plane. This is to causethe liquid to be shed more rapidly as'it is normally sluggish in move ing-owingto its viscosity; The periphery of the hood extends to about one inch inside of and slightly above the inner edgeof the The annular clearance space 18 is used to accommodate the scleetonblades 19 which are riveted or bolted to the under side of inner part of flange 8 by means of their flat root portion 19, being secured so; astopoint toward the center of the hood in their general directlOIl. As seen in Figs. 3 and 4.- each blade curves downward and inward beyond the An angle-brace I 11 is" provided lutions per minute.

root portion, then turns almost straight upward with reference to distance toward or from the center, but at angle reserved uniform from the point of upwar 1y turmn of from 25 to 30 degrees backward, w1th. re erenoe to the direction of rotation of the shedding'hoodp The blades come up from the annular clearance space 18, in which they are represented, by the 3 dotted lines at 20,

the straight portion passing to about one half inch above the hoods edge and within 1/32 of anvinch' therefrom, being inclined inward or toward the center at an angle of 5 froni the vertical in that direction. Forward and backward being here understood to refer tov the direction of gyration of the ,hood. The rear edge of the flat portion of the blades is ehamfered" oif at any suitable angle to present a sharp, knife-like'edge 21 to the curving jets Of'IIllXlZlllG, while the upper part 22; of the front edge is eased ofi at an angle "to meet -the rear edge in a sharp point. Each of these diflerent parts an shapes has its especial efl'ect on the mixture segregation, being the results of many different-trials and changesof form. A circular dam is .workedupon the inner edge of the rim flange 8- in order topreventany. wa-ai tel: that has.beeireliminatedfrom the oilnixture from. running back :intowthe oil receiver 7 vfrom the outwardly sloping rim flange through theannular clearance cspace'18. 2;-

A pulley 24: is here 'shown-keyedto the Idrive-shaft to transmit to it the necessary turning power by belt from, any suitable source, of energy. -Gearing ,or direct drive working should make from 112 to 17 5 revo- In operating'the mixture is delivered-by a pump .or by gravity througha pipe 25,

preferably terminating in a circularly bent port-ion 2( 5, having a suitable number of holes or slits at the bottom and discharging over the opening bounded by a broad ring by amotor placed onthe platform may also ,be used to. turn the shaft, which for best 27, which may be made of a short length of 1 pipe, and is s ecured by several short legs 28 to the top of thc shedding hood17. Under the action of the compound forces previously describedandpf gravity the mixture of oily and water fed thus upon the hood is thrown in the sweeping curve characteristic of this invention from the hoods edge against the knife-edges of the selector blades. These break upthe-jets completely, selecting by its viscosity the oil from the mixture in the manner already set forth,

' which oil adhering to the sides of the blades,

runs down along these into receiver 7, whence it is drawn off through drain cook 29 into. a suitable receptacle or conduit 30, the sloping sides ofportion 7 assistin the running down of the torpid liquid. here the quantity handled is greatas in large central light and power stations, handling crude oil from Wells and the like, a pump may beconnected to the bottom of the receiver to deliver the oil to the cleaning or filtering apparatus or to barrels or tanks. The water thus eliminated from the mixture drops for the larger part on the rim-flange. This may advantageously be provided with a trough 31- running underneath it, into which it can'discharge the water through apertures 32 made at a suitable pitch. A drain pipe -33, connected with the drainage system of the plant carries off the Water from the trough. To prevent the water from slopping over the edge of the rimfiange 8, the latter may advantageously be turned up at its outer edge forming a circular dam 34.

'lVhile the pitch of the selector-blades is to some extent influenced by the nature of the oil handled and the proportion of oil to water in themixture I have found for general practice to meetnormal conditions 1} to 1 inch'to be satisfactory. The heavy cylinder oils used on valve stems, piston rods and frequently on step bearings and turbine main bearings work with a less close pitch than do the light machine and spindle oils because they adhere more readily to the selector-blades and usually come with a smaller proportionate admixture of Water. Similarly the dark, heavy, viscous mineral oils drawn from deep wells are handled by separators in which there are fewer selectorblades spaced farther apart than they wouldbe with the light hydrocarbon oils rich in naphthas, benzins and similar volatile compounds.

Instead of using a single circle of blades I may stagger them in two circular series the blades of onecircle being in echelon with those of the other; or I may advantageously arrange two blades side by side by having one project beyond the other from a common point of riveting.

'In general, a single separator, run at the proper speed to suit the class of mixture ef: quantity of ficiently handles a. surprising oil-water liquid, but Where it is important to operate quickly yet to insure that no water whatever appears in the resulting oil the tandem effect illustrated in Fig. 5 gives the best results, The construction and operation are plain from the drawingand the foregoing description, the working being precisely the same as for one, the mixture fed by the first unit on to the second is already relatively so free from water that the selector blades of the second may be set at a much wider pitch than those of the first. A triple effect machine may also be made by extension of the same construction.

In manycases the platform here shown vin shaft laterally,

driven into the ground. The drive pulley to cut and would with the' exception that ,from said mixture and 'structlons and then collecting said more VIS- may be dispensed with by hanging the separator from the ceiling, running the shaft and feeding the mixture from the floor above; or the shaft may be run through a stufiing-box in the bottom of the receiver and supported in a steprbearing secured in the shop floor. In the latter case the friction in the stuffingbox forms a serious drawback and the shaft is apt to out very quickly in the stuffing-box by sand and dirt carried in by the oil. N evertheless for the' equipment of well-drilling crews of the itinerant type, who work from one well to another until the oil supply is exhausted the hanging construction of Fig. 1 is out of the question. For such temporary plants I have designed the form shown Fig. 6.- The construction is clear from the drawing, being'merely an adaptation of the former to special conditions. The collar 12 in this case is formed on the lower end of the shaft, the fixed bearing portion 14: is bolt'edwith countersunk bolts to the bed plate 34,. or Whatever'foundation be used. On the outside of the ball-race 13, and sh0ul der 12 the bearing 15 is bolted to secure the while its upper end is similarly. secured by bearing 16 set into crossbeam 35 resting on posts or pillars 36, which in the case of well outfits will probably be 24 is preferably placed low down to bring the pull of the belt near the lower laterally holding bearing, which is necessarily much more firm than the upper one. In order to avoid the use of a stufiing-box in the oil receiver 7 which would soon cause the shaft produce great friction, the shape of the tank is in this case changed by the introduction of the tube 38 which surrounds the receiver. The latter 1s supported and steadied by a suitable number of 'stays 39 run to the bed-plate, floor or ground. The above described apparatus iscomparatively light and small, as I have found that separators 1 0 of from 2 feet up to 4 feet in diameter sufficed for all ordinary cases.

While the preceding specification uses oil- Water mixtures as an illustration it is evident that the same process and apparatus are applicable to any mixtures of ingredients differing in their viscosities and adhesion.

WVhat I claim as new and desire to have protected by Letters Patent is the following:

'1 A process for physically separating into their constituents mixtures of liquid sub-, stances dlifermg in viscosity, consisting in precipitating said mixture against obstruct ons by centrifugal force which causes the more viscous of said constituents to separate adhere to said obcous constituents.

2. The process for separating'fiuid mixtures, conslsting in passing said mixture in shaft as far up as the rim of the 105 a. finely divided condition, over a conductmg surface; and forcing said m1xture into contact with separated obstructions to which lthe viscous .liquidwill adhere and which will lead said viscous substance away andleave the non-viscous substance to be separately dealt with. I

3. A process for physically separating a mixture of liquids differing in adhesiveiiess into itsconstituents consisting in imparting to said mixture circular motion and, at the same time, motion in direction of the instantaneous radius of the circular path passing through any particle of said mixture, PI'OJBCtlll said mixture into space under the combined effect of the forces producing said motions, physically scattering said mixture into spray and drops, leading away the more viscous substances of said mixture, over a conducting surface, to a -receiver, and leaving the less viscous substance to be separately dealt wlth;

4. Aprocess forphysically separating oil and water in admixture into its constituents,

consisting in feeding said mixture onto a rapidly revolving surface, ejectin said mixture from said surface by centri ugal force,

a dividing the ejected mixture into spray and drops by projecting it against an obstacle,

and leading the oil of the mixture along the surface of said obstacle to a receiver leaving the water of sald mixture to be separately dealt with.

5. A process for physically separating a mixture of oil and water into its constituents,

consisting in feeding said mixture onto a rapidly revolving surface near the center thereof, driving said mixture from said surface by centrifugal force against the knifeedges of sharp selector-blades, and leading means, fixed means for breaking up said mixture after pro ect1on, into spray and drops, and for conducting said viscous liquid adhering to said means to a separate receptacle.

7. An apparatus for separating a mixture of oil and Water into its constituents consisting ofa mixtureshedding hood having means for being rotated, a series of selectorblades fixed in a circle, each having a knife edge presented against the direction of revolution of said hood, and flat sides of which the inner is located very, close to the periphery of said hood, and a shar point projecting above the edge of said iood, an oil receptacle underneath said hood having a broad rim-flange extending both inward and outward of the rim and to within a short distance from and below the edge of said h'ood, said selector-blades being secured to the under side of said rim-flange, crossing the open annular space between it and said hood and coming up through said space, means for preventing the washing back of Tvater from said rim-flange into said space, means for drawing oifoil from said receptacle; means for feeding liquid onto said hood at its center and distributing said feed.

8. In an apparatus for separating a mixture of oil and water into its constituents, a selector-blade havin a straight, fiat root portion with means fbr securing it to a fixed at surface in said. apparatus, a U shaped portion curving downward from the inner end of said fiat portion, the other arm of said .U extending upward beyond said flat portion not less than the total height of said U, and inclined at an angle of not more than 65'nor less than 60 degrees to said flat portion, a knife edge formed on one edge of said prolonged arm, a long chamfer on the opposite edge forming a point at the end of said knife-edge.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

, *LA REN E STROM.

WVit-nesses l BARD. M. BLAKE JOSEPH KNoRR. 

